2024 Volume 110 Issue 14 Pages 1080-1088
In the ferro-coke production process, the molded briquettes are carbonized as they are to become ferro-coke, and the quality of ferro-coke is greatly reduced when the briquettes deteriorate during transportation to the shaft furnace. Therefore, briquette strength is one of the most important characteristics in ferro-coke production.
The briquette strength is expressed by binders such as coal tar pitch and asphalt pitch, and when the binder is adsorbed on the pores of coal particles, the binder contributing to the adhesion between the particles decreases, and the briquette strength decreases. Therefore, the binder penetration phenomenon in the pores is important to produce high strength briquettes for ferro-coke.
Methylene blue adsorption test of coal was carried out to evaluate the binder penetration characteristics. 10 kinds of coal were used, and it was clarified that the amount of methylene blue adsorbed was affected by the coal pore volume and the wettability of coal. Next, the effect of the binder penetration characteristics on the strength of the ferro-coke briquette was investigated. As a result, it was found that the strength of the briquette decreased when a brand with high methylene blue adsorption was used. Based on the above results, we developed a technology that can control briquette strength by adjusting the amount of methylene blue adsorbed and the amount of binder. With this new technology, high-strength briquettes can be produced with the minimum amount of binder, and ferro-coke quality can be ensured at the same time as low-cost operation.
